Compositional Characterization of Syngas-Based Glycolide Using Gas Chromatogram-Mass Spectrometry and Electrospray Ionization High-Resolution Mass Spectrometry.

Polyglycolic acid (PGA) is a biologically friendly material with a wide range of applications. The production of dimethyl oxalate using coal-based syngas and the hydrogenation of dimethyl oxalate can produce the polymerization raw material of PGA, glycolide, which requires a methyl glycolate polymerization and depolymerization process. The intermediate products of the production process were analyzed using gas chromatogram-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) and Orbitrap mass spectrometry (Orbitrap MS), which revealed the presence of cyclic and linear PGAs with different capped ends.

Speciation and molecular characterization of thiophenic and sulfide compounds in petroleum by sulfonation and methylation followed by electrospray mass spectrometry.

Thiophenes and sulfides are the dominant sulfur-containing compounds in petroleum and have been widely of concern in the fields of petroleum refining and geochemistry. In this study, a novel approach was developed for selective separation and characterization of petroleum-derived thiophenic and sulfide compounds. Thiophenic compounds were selectively converted to sulfonates in the presence of vitriolic acid and can be characterized by negative ion electrospray mass spectrometry.